The present invention relates to construction features of an armature for power relays and more particularly the invention relates to a contact system on such an armature constituting the, or one of the, movable contact or contacts of the relays.
Power relays are known wherein the contact or contacts on the armature makes contact in the energized as well as in the unenergized state, of course, with different sets of contacts in each instance. A typical power relay of this type is traded for example under the designation S 167 by the assignee of this application for patent. One of the limitations of this known relay as far as its performance is concerned, is to be seen in that for power above a certain level the following may happen. An arc may, for example, on de-energization of the relay between a movable contact and a stationary contact with which the movable contact had made contact in the energized state and from which it now recedes, jump to another stationary contact, e.g. to one which another movable relay contact on the armature is about to engage, resulting in a short circuit which may even feed the continuation of that arc, thereby burning off the two stationary contacts.